Learn To Share

Make communal areas conducive to collaboration with these seats, tables, and dividers.

Shared spaces in contract applications such as education centers, airport terminals, and hospital waiting rooms often require ample seating, open work surfaces, and plenty of electrical outlets for powering laptops and mobile devices. Whereas many furniture systems and finishes leave users wanting, these products provide. We found seating designed for group projects and informal meetings, a table complete with built-in electrical and USB outlet strips, and carpeting that uses hues and patterns to delineate spaces. Rounding out this week’s list are knobs and pulls originally designed for the upscale Marcel Hotel in New York.

Hexagon, Shaw Contract Group
A new take on carpet tile takes shape in Shaw Contract Group’s Hexagon collection, whose six-sided tiles offer increased design potential compared to traditional square or rectangular tiles. The series comprises beveled, linear, linear shift, and plane tiles, all made from the company’s Eco Solution Q fiber, which features 45% recycled content. The collection’s 29 colors are designed to complement one another and can be joined in groups of three tonal values to demarcate zones on a floor. shawcontractgroup.com

Power Cube, KnollExtra
As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile, the need to charge devices such as smart phones and laptops on the go is now greater than ever. The Power Cube from KnollExtra offers a handy solution. Fitted with electrical outlets and USB ports, the table features a writeable whiteboard surface and is available in 24”-square or 36”-square sizes, each 13” tall. The table can be hard-wired to the floor or plugged into an outlet. Pair with side chairs in offices or lounge furniture in waiting areas. knoll.com

Regard, Steelcase
Students often spend hours studying outside of the classroom, but few furniture collections are flexible enough to meet their needs. Regard from Steelcase was specially designed to facilitate learning and collaboration in informal spaces. The modular collection features extra-wide seating, integrated power outlets, and resilient fabric to withstand heavy use. A screen can be added for extra privacy in designated quiet areas. steelcase.com

Carvart Metallic, Carvart
Decorative glass is usually easy on the eyes, but rarely is it able to improve building performance. Carvart’s Metallic collection of laminated glass fuses a metallic mesh interlayer between two glass lites. The mesh’s outer metallic surface reflects solar energy to limit solar heat gain while the sheet shades building interiors from sunlight and reduces glare. Carvart Metallic is suitable for interior and exterior walls and partitions, doors, and space delineation. carvart.com

Metal-Art, Lamin-Art
A new collection of high-pressure laminates features embossed-metal decorative surfaces in five contemporary geometric patterns. Metal-Art from Lamin-Art is created by hot-pressing a hand-carved metal embossing plate into a piece of impregnated kraft paper. The paper is laminated with a sheet of aluminum foil and a layer of epoxy varnish. The laminates come in 4’ by 10’ sheets and are suited for vertical and nonwork surfaces in most contract applications. Available in aluminum, stainless, champagne, and bronze brushed finishes. laminart.com

Marcel collection, Du Verre Hardware
Jeffrey Goodman and Steven Charlton of New York City-based design firm Goodman Charlton first designed this geometric furniture and cabinetry hardware collection in 1999 for the city’s upscale Marcel Hotel. The Marcel collection from Du Verre Hardware comprises knobs and pulls, which are available hand-finished in antique brass, black matte, and polished aluminum. The collection is made of recycled aluminum. duverre.com

This post was updated to clarify that Metal-Art's Lamin-Art includes metal. It does not emulate metal.